A Multidisciplinary Control Systems Laboratory

The hallmark of the newly configured Rowan College of Engineering undergraduate program is multidisciplinary education with a laboratory emphasis. The development of a new multidisciplinary control laboratory upholds our hallmark very well. We attempt to address the demand of industry for acquiring control engineers (1) with a broad set of skills and a comprehension of the diverse practical applications of control and (2) who can move across rather artificial program boundaries with great ease. Twelve multidisciplinary experiments that integrate hands-on experience and software simulation are investigated. This enables electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering students to learn the fundamental theory and physical implementation of various types of control systems. The first four experiments deal with different first order systems and emphasize their mathematical equivalence. The next two experiments expose the students to Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID) control using both a DC motor and feedback process control. Performance analyses and the use of instrumentation in control are the fundamentals of the next two experiments. The last four experiments deal with real systems like an engine, helicopter, ball and beam and an anti-lock brake system. Details of an experiment on a first order system are given. Introduction The control systems laboratory is an integrated effort by the Faculty of Engineering at Rowan University to configure a novel hands-on method of teaching Control Systems from a multidisciplinary point of view. The Electrical, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering programs are joining together to achieve this. Although Control is an interdisciplinary technology, there has historically been a tendency for the different engineering departments to teach the subject from their very own somewhat narrow perspective without any semblance of collaboration. This project attempts to address the demand of industry for acquiring control engineers with a broad set of skills and a comprehension of the diverse practical applications of Control [1]. Page 538.1 Rowan University began as a teacher education institution. It then evolved into a comprehensive state college and now into a university. The School of Engineering is a recent expansion for the college; a major gift in 1992 from the Rowan Foundation was the catalyst for adding engineering. Our new programs seek to use innovative methods of teaching and learning to prepare students better for entry into a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace. Key program features include: (1) multidisciplinary education created through collaborative laboratory and course work; (2) an emphasis on teamwork as the necessary framework for solving complex problems; (3) incorporation of appropriate technologies throughout the curricula; and (4) creation of continuous opportunities for technical communication. To meet these objectives best, our programs include an interdisciplinary engineering clinic every semester. Sharing many features in common with the model for medical training, the clinic provides an atmosphere of faculty mentoring in a hands-on, laboratory setting. In addition to the clinic, specialized courses are taught to deliver a well blended combination of theoretical and practical skills. This project is in accordance with the aims of our new programs and strives to meet the requirements of industry in hiring control engineers who can move across rather artificial program boundaries with great ease. Goals and Objectives Our aim is to accomplish the following: 1. Give students an exposure to the different aspects of control theory in the form of multidisciplinary laboratory experiences that include electrical, mechanical, fluid and thermal systems. In fact, the underlying theory of each of these systems can be explained using circuit theory as these four systems can be modeled as an equivalent circuit [2]. 2. Ensure that our laboratory has an impact on a wide variety of courses in our curriculum including the interdisciplinary clinic sequence and core courses in each engineering program. 3. Since digital technology is predominant in today’s industry, students should be exposed to data acquisition and digital control for multidisciplinary purposes. 4. Integrate software simulation with hands-on laboratory work using MATLAB, its associated SIMULINK package and C++ programming.